'I know I can overcome this' Paul Gascoigne says latest relapse was a 'blip'
PAUL Gascoigne has insisted that it was his choice to get into an ambulance after relapsing and getting drunk again earlier this month.
The former footballer, who has battled alcohol addiction for many years now, has revealed that he chose to get the help on August 21 as it was the only way he could stop drinking.
After more than seven months of being sober, the father-of-three had decided to binge on beer and gin at his home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
He was pictured looking frail and confused as a police officer helped him to an ambulance - but now he says he is determined more than ever to beat his addiction.
This time I had only been drinking for a few hours but I knew if I went to hospital I would be OK and that I would come through the other side
"I know I can overcome this. I am an alcoholic so I am taking one day at a time, but I will get there," he told the Sunday Mirror.
"I don’t want sympathy - I just want the space to live my life."
He continued: "The last few days have been hard. When I saw the ambulance, I knew instantly that I had to get inside.
"In the past I have had binges that have lasted days, weeks, months.
"This time I had only been drinking for a few hours but I knew if I went to hospital I would be OK and that I would come through the other side."
According to the former footballer, it was the stress of being served with a notice of eviction from his flat which led him to start drinking again.
"Up until a few weeks ago, I was doing great," he added. "I have an illness and I had a bad moment. Now I want to make sure it doesn't happen again."
This time Paul is determined to stay sober without having to leave home and stay in a clinic.
His last stint in rehab was in January of this year, when he checked into a £6,000-a-month clinic in Southampton.
"I don’t think I need to go into rehab," he told the newspaper. "I needed to go to hospital – to get better and now I feel better.
"Now I just want to get fit and to be left alone to live my life."